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Movies / Upcoming / The Break-Up
The Break-Up

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The Break-Up (2006)

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33 %
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Reviews Counted:184

Fresh:61

Rotten:123

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: This anti-romantic comedy lacks both laughs and insight, resulting in an odd and unsatisfying experience.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $118,683,135

Synopsis: Despite its seemingly classic date-movie setup, THE BREAK UP bucks romantic comedy tradition at almost every turn. Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) are a mismatched couple who... Despite its seemingly classic date-movie setup, THE BREAK UP bucks romantic comedy tradition at almost every turn. Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) are a mismatched couple who meet, develop a seemingly contented relationship, and buy a beautiful condo together within the movie's first few minutes. Soon an all-too-believable fight triggers the title event, and they spend the rest of the movie alternately arguing and playing mind games as they battle over ownership of their beloved condo--and try to decide whether or not they really want this to be the end. In one of the movie's more dangerous yet courageous twists, neither Vaughn nor Aniston play especially likable characters. They never become unpleasant to watch, though, thanks largely to their formidable reservoirs of charisma. Vaughn is a master of the unkempt, immature, and hilarious everyman (OLD SCHOOL, THE WEDDING CRASHERS), while Aniston radiates bewildered decency, even in prickly roles (THE GOOD GIRL, FRIENDS WITH MONEY). Both of them are engaging presences, even when the movie veers away from comedy and into a kind of painful realism, as Gary and Brooke get caught up in a bitter and mean-spirited cycle of fighting that neither of them can win. The script's few weak patches are usually saved by the tremendous supporting cast, including ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's Jason Bateman as the couple's realtor, Judy Davis as Brooke's boss, John Michael Higgins as her irrepressible, sexually ambiguous brother, and Jon Favreau as Gary's best friend, in scenes that effortlessly recapture some of the duo's SWINGERS chemistry. Peyton Reed, the director of the underrated DOWN WITH LOVE, isn't afraid to make his romantic comedy both unromantic and, occasionally, depressingly truthful, but thanks to the group of actors assembled here, watching a relationship unravel has rarely been more enjoyable. [More]

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Bateman

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Bateman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Cole Hauser, Judy Davis, John Michael Higgins, Ann-Margret, Peter Billingsley

Director: Peyton Reed

Director: Peyton Reed
Screenwriter: Jeremy Garelick, Jay Lavender
Story: Vince Vaughn
Producer: Vince Vaughn, Jay Lavender, Jeremy Garelick
Composer: Jon Brion
Studio: Universal Pictures

[See More Credits]

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1 - 4 of 12

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Reviews for The Break-Up

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
07/01/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Delivers something worthwhile to those open-minded enough to be able to settle with wild shifts between average satire and grounded pathos

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
06/29/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An extended sit-com played for laughs, with little to redeem itself. The two central characters are not the only ones who wish things had been different. I, for one, would have liked to laugh. Or cry. Or at least be entertained.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/15/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The two stars remain painfully wrong for each other

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

"The Break-Up" comes with a slap and a kiss that's at once bracing and pleasing.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/23/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

A word of caution to anyone heading off to see The Break-Up with the assumption that it is a romantic comedy: this is not a comedy movie with a serious side -- it is a serious movie with a comedic side.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Stereotypes across the board, puerile one-upmanship games, and an utter failure to explain why, indeed, these two even were together.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/11/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

"The Break-Up": A brilliantly uncompromising, often harsh but very accurate examination of a relationship unraveling

Full Review Source: Passionate Moviegoer | comment Comment
07/16/07
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Passionate Moviegoer

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

High-aimed intentions are thrown askew by the reliance on inconsistent laughs seemingly meant to break the otherwise overriding tension.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
07/03/07
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Right up there with the best of the revenge genre, and earns praise from this critic for its sophisticated brand of humor which kept me in stitches from start to finish.

Full Review Source: Providence American | comment Comment
06/30/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Providence American

Not even the tacked-on ending, hinting at some future sparks between Brooke and Gary, can lighten the sturm und drang in this break-up.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Shirley Sealy
Shirley Sealy
Film Journal International

..."The Break Up" may go down with "Fatal Attraction" as the worst "date" movie of all time.

Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment Comment
12/13/06
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
10/21/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

There's nothing broken about The Break-Up, which turns rom-com conventions on their side in free-wheeling fashion, and in doing so colorfully, wittily celebrates what it is about men and women that both attract one another and drives us crazy.

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
09/22/06
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

A romantic comedy that is neither romantic nor particularly funny.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/08/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

A little broken, but worth the viewing.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
08/21/06
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

[I]t combines a naked desire to please the audience with a try-anything approach of the kind that made Wedding Crashers such a desperate stab at entertainment.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
07/30/06
Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Latest News for The Break-Up

February 08, 2009: DreamWorks and Universal Sever Ties Opens in new window
DreamWorks and Universal have broken their seven-year distribution agreement, citing "business interests" that were "no longer in alignment" and sending DreamWorks to Disney. More...

July 24, 2008: Hollywood's Most Valuable Actor: Vince Vaughn? Opens in new window
Forbes has compiled a list of the most cost-effective actors in Hollywood, determining who gives the studios the most bang for their buck -- and Vince Vaughn is at the top of... More...

July 30, 2007: Through Bergman's Past, Brightly
With the passing of Ingmar Bergman Monday, the world of cinema lost one of its most unique and important voices. Thus, we at Rotten Tomatoes decided to pick our favorite Bergman... More...

July 25, 2007: Jim Carrey Signs On to Be a Yes Man
Anyone who just got done sitting through the Number 23 DVD is probably wondering what happened to the silly Jim Carrey. Well, it looks like he'll be back in Peyton Reed's Yes Man. More...

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